Many surgical procedures involve creating punctures in tissue at a surgical site. A puncture in a patient's blood vessel can be created during catheterization and interventional procedures, such as angioplasty or stenting. Furthermore, some surgical procedures may require closing or narrowing natural openings in a subject's body, such as procedures involving a heart valve repair, narrowing of a pylorus, or occluding a fallopian tube. It can also be desirable to seal openings that form in a body related to a defect or disease.
Various apparatuses have been suggested for percutaneously sealing openings existing or created in a subject's body. For example, biodegradable plugs, sutures, surgical fasteners, and other devices have been employed to close openings in the body. However, many of the existing approaches have certain drawbacks.
Accordingly, improved systems and methods for closing openings in a subject's body are needed. There also remains a need for improved systems and methods for deploying devices for closing an opening in a simple and effective manner.